Camping cot



March 16 1926. Y 1,577,204 M. A. DAVIS CAMPING COT Original Filed July. 1922 Patented'Mar. 1c, 1926.

gomTE: sta e-s river or MANsnLr. A. DAVIS, or new YORK, Y.

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Application filed July 3, 1922, Serial No. traces. Renewed January s, 1926.

To all whom it may concern. I I Be it known that I, MANsnLL A. DAVIS, a

citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at2t77 Grand Ave, New York city, in the borough of Manhattan and State of New York, have invented certaln new and useful Improvements in Camping Cots, of which theefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to folding cots, and more particularly to a cot suitable for camping purposes and which may be foldel into smallcompass and carried on the running board of an automobile. j

The cot of my invention comprises two pairs of end posts with connections between the posts of each pair permitting the posts to be spaced apart or folded together, and side bars pivotally connected to the'pairs of posts and having hinged joints at their centers, which joints break in an upward direction and permit the pairs of-end posts to. be folded with the side bars. In association with the folding ends and sides just mentioned l provideflexible ties, in the form of cables, whichare connected to the end posts below the side bars, and pivoted legs which depend from thecentral portionsof the side bars and engage the cables, said legs serving to support the central portionsof the side bars and to tie the bars to the cables so as to prevent upward breakingv of the jointsin the bars, when the cot is set up, andalso to lift and fold the cables when theside bars are. folded. The top of the cot, which is composedof canvas or other suitable fabric, is connected to squared bars which fit in squared notches in the end posts, and these bars, which are removable from the notches, may be turned and reinserted in the notches to takeup, the slack in the fabric. The bars project. beyond the end posts, and the top is attached to the laterally projecting ends of the bars, as well as to the central portions of the bars, the top being slotted to receive the posts. By attaching the top to the bars at both sides of each post, I am enabled to use smaller, and therefore lighter bars than if the top were attached to the bars only between the posts.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the cot, set up;

Fig. 2 is an end View of the same;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the cot with the end frames partly folded;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the cot, partly folded Fig. 5 is a top planview of a portion of the top of the cot, showing the manner of itsconnection to one of the end posts; and, Fig. 6 is a detail showing the joint in one of the side barsand the central leg.

Refer ring to the drawing, the frameof the cot comprises a pair of end posts a and a similar pair of end posts a, connectel by side bars 6 and b. Each pairof end posts is connectedto brace rods l"2,upivoted to the lower ends of the posts upon bolts 3 andpivotally connected together at their centers, asshownat t, and above the pivotal point 4 the rod 1 has a hinged section 1* and the rod 2 has a hinged section 2?, these hinged sections being connected to the upper portions of the post by pivotal connections? The rods with their hinged sections form toggle levers which brace the posts diagonally, as shown in Fig. 2, when the cot is set up, and by breaking the toggles, as shown in Fig. 3, the posts of a pair may be moved toward one another, as indicated in Fig. 3, and folded one against the other.

'Ijhe side bars 6 and Z) are alike, each cons sting of two sections 6 and 7, of substantlally equal length, connected to the end posts by pivots 8, and. connected together by a hinge-pin 9, which passes through a .U- shapedshoe l0,securedto the section 7 and through a loop 11 in a strapl2, secured to the sectiono. The shoe 10 projects overthe section 6 to prevent the side bars from sagging or yielding laterally at the hinge joint, but this shoe permits the sections to fold upwardly, as indicated in Fig. ends of the side bars are plates 8 which'project above and beyond the ends of the bars, and the pivot pins 8 extendthrough the upper parts of these plates. By'this construction, the ends of the side bars rest against the inner faces of the end posts, below the pivots 8, when the cot isset up, as shown in Fig. 1. In folding the cot, the posts fold against the upper sides of the side bars, as will be clear from- Fig. 4, and, when folded, the end posts lie parallel with the side bars. 7

A leg 13, for supporting the side bar at its center, is suspended from a pin 14 which extends through the lower walls of the shoe 10, and thisleg is provided with a notch 13 to receive a flexible tie, shown as a cable 15, which cable is connected at its ends to the eyes 3 on the bolts 3, which pass through the lower parts of the posts at opposite ends 4. Upon the of the cot. hen the side bars of the cot are folded upwardly and the pairs of end posts are moved toward one another for folding, as indicated in Fig. il, the legs 13, attached to the side bars, support the cables at their centers, as shown in said figure, and the cables will then fold simultaneously with the folding of the side bars. hen the cot isset up, as shown in Fig. 1, the cables hold the end posts against the ends of the side bars, so that the latter cannot turn about the pivots 8, and, also, by reason of their connections through the parts 13 with the side rails prevent the upward breaking of saidrails at their central joints. The cables are adjustable to some extent by means of wing nuts 8" on the bolts The top of the cot comprises a sheet of canvas or other fabric 0, which is secured at its ends to cross-pieces 16, which are angular in crosssection and which are adapted to fit into angular grooves or recesses 17 in the outer sides of the posts a and m. The cross pieces project laterally beyond the posts, and the canvas is connected to the cross-pieces between and at the sides of the posts, By this arrangement, I am enabled to use much lighter cross-pieces than if the canvas were connected to the cross pieces only between the posts. The top is formed with. slots 18, one of which is shown in Fig. 5, to permit the upper ends of the posts to pass through and to permit of taking up the stretch in the canvas without interference by the posts. After a period of use, tlielcanvas or fabric will stretch and, in order to keep the fabric taut, it is only necessary to turn one of the cross-pieces 16 to wind a portion of the fabric on the crosspicce and then insert the cross-piece in the angular sockets in the posts which will prevent the cross-piece from turning.

It is believed the construction and operation will be clear from the foregoing. Assuming the cot to be set up and that it is desired to fold it, the top may be removed by pulling one of the cross'pieces 16 out of the notches in the end posts. The toggle connections at the ends of the cot will then be flexed and the sides of the cot brought together, after which the side bars may be folded upwardly, as indicated in Fig. 4:, and

the pairsof end posts will then be brought together and the cables also will be folded. The folded frame may then be wrapped in the fabric top and secured to the running board of an automobile. It will be evident that by reversing the operations the cot may be set up.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a folding cot, two pairs of end posts, toggle connections between the posts of each pair, side bars pivotally connected at their ends to the central portions of the end posts, each side bar having an upwardly breaking hinge joint at its center, and said end posts adapted to fold against the upper sides of the side bars, flexible ties connecting the lower ends of the posts at each side of the cot, means connecting the central portions of said ties with the central portions of the side rails, and a top detachably connected to the upper ends of the end posts above their points of connection with the side bars.

2. In at folding cot, two pairs of end posts, the posts of each pair having near their upper ends and on their outer sides alined angular notches, side bars pivotally connected to the central portions of the posts, cables connecting the lower parts of the posts, bars of angular cross-section fitting removably in said notches, and a fabric secured to said latter bars, said "fabric hav ing slots through which the end posts extend.

In a folding cot, two pairs of end posts, side bars pivotally connected to the central portions of the posts, cables connecting the lower parts of the posts, cross bars detachahly connected to the upper parts of the posts, the ends of said cross bars 'n'ojecting laterally beyond the posts, and a fabric secured to the end and central portions of said cross bars and having slots toreceive the posts.

In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature.

MANSELL A. DAVIS. 

